Shedding mechanism for looms



Q (N0Mode1.)' {Sheets-Sheet 1. I H. WYMAN. SHEDDING MECHANISM FOR LOOMS.

Patented. Sept. 15, 1891.

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No. 459,474. Patented Sept. '15, 1891.

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UNITED STATES PA ENT Trice.

SHEDDING MECHANISM FOR L OOMS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 459,474, dated September 15, 1891.

Application filed July 5, 1887. Serial No. 243,399. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HORACE WYMAN, of WVorcester, county of Vorcester, and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvemerit in Shedding Mechanisms for Looms, of which the following description, in connectron with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters and figures on the drawings representing like parts.

This lnvention has for its object to improve the shed-forming mechanism of looms, my invention being shown as applied to an openshed loom and being an improvement on the class of loom shown in United States Patent No. 217,589. In the patent referred to the descent of the harness-frames is effected by a series of springs that draw the frames to whlch they are attached into the lower shed; but herein the harness-frames at bottom and top are directly connected by cording to the harness-levers, which latter are moved positively, as will be hereinafter described, in the direction to not only open the shed but also to close it,the harness-frames so moved positively into the lower shed in exactlytheir proper position belng retained there and being prevented from umping 6r rising as the reed meets the fell or from rising by reason of excessive tension on the warp,for if some of the said harnessframes yield from the level of the lower shed as the reed reaches the fell their warp-threads will be slackened and will cause the surface of the fabric to appear rough or uneven. The use of springs to close the shed is also very ob ectionable, for when the shed is being opened the stress of the springs has to be overcome, which requires considerable power, such increase of power being very considerable in broad looms or looms employing any great number of harnessframes, and especially if the 100m is run at very high speed. In this my invention the harness-frames are brought positively into the lower shed and 4:,aview of the safety device in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 3; Fig. 4, a top view of one of the lifters, and Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional detail of some of the parts shown in Fig. 1.

The frame-work a, crank-shaft pinion 9' thereon, toothed gear k connecting-rod 19 the head b the connections or armsf", the hooked jacks c d, jointed to them, and the fulcrum-bars 23 24 are all substantially as in the said patent, wherein like parts are designated by like letters. The link 20 is connected at its upper end to an arm 0, loose (see Fig.

3) on the hub of a lever r fast on one end of r, are connected each by like links 13 14 to studs 15 16, connected to or forming parts of the carriages e 6', (shown separately in Fig. 4 and in section in Fig. 5,) the said links and levers serving to reciprocate the said carriages alternately in opposite directions in slots 17 and 18 in the sides of the head, as in Fig. 1. The arms or connections f have their fulcra on studs or projections d of the ears d of the harness-levers d, to the notched lower and upper ends of which are adjustably attached the harness-cording d and (1 extended, respectively, to the top and bottom of the harness-frames d of usual construction. The harness levers d are notched at d to enable them to be readily applied to their common fulcrum (1 in which position they are held by the holding-bar 01 made adjustable by adj listing-screws d the bar being held in adjusted position by bolts 18. Herein the inner face of the holding-bar d is concaved, as shown best in Fig. 5, the levers d each having a convexed projection 19 to fit against the said bar. To remove the harness-levers it is necessary to remove the holding-bar (Z The carriages are beveled at their outer ends to engage such of the notched jacks c" d" as are not held up by the action of the fingers g and g as the carriages are moved outwardly or away. from the harness frames, the beveled outer ends of the said carriages acting at such times as lifters. The carriages referred to (see Figs. 4 and 5) have straight rear edges 22, which as the carriages are moved inwardlyor arrive at the end of their inward stroke act in succession against the connections f at bottom and then at. top, and effect the positive depression or placing into the lower shed of all those harness-frames which are'not held elevated by the hooked jacks at the opposite end of the connection f in engagement with the other carriage e or e, the said straight edges 22 at such times acting as eveners to insure the correct position in the lower shed for all those harnessframes which are to remain there during the next pick, the said harness-frames being held in such position by locking-bars, to be described, so that they cannot rise and permit the warp-threads carried by them to become slack as the reed meets the fell of the cloth. The head If has suitable comb-like bars 7L2 to guide the fingers g and g, pivoted at 25 and 26 and weighted at their outer ends, other guides, as 27 and 28, guiding the outer ends of the said fingers. The extension-frame also has two locking-bars m and 0%, having each a shoulder, as shown best in Fig. 5, the said shoulders receiving against them the outer ends of such of the hooked jacks as are lifted by the fingers g and g, the said bars locking or holding the said jacks in position while the carriages e and e are moved outwardly to lift the harness-frames into the upper shed. As each carriage starts outwardly, the fingers below the hooked jacks act to lift into engagement with the locking-bars m or m such of the jacks as are not to be engaged by the carriage to lift the harness-frame with which the jack co-operates, and during the first part of the said onward movement the said fingers act to keep in elevated position the said hooked jacks; but to prevent the accidental descent of the said jacks so placed in line or engagement with and held by the lockingbars as the carriages in engagement with the hooked jacks move them to lift the harnessframes I have provided rest-bars n n, Which These rest-bars-n n are attached to arms a and n pivoted at n and n on a rigid part of the head I). The lower ends of each arm n and a rest by gravity upon the upper side of the carriage under it, both the said carriages e and 6 having a high part 33, which comes under the arms a and 91 except at the time when the pattern chain. or surface y is to be moved to change the position of the fingers g g, at which time the said arms enter the depressed portions 34 of the carriages. The pattern surface or chain y is herein shown as elevated to act upon the uppermost series of fingers g, and these fingers have upturned points 30, which pass up through the open central part of the carriage e and act directly against the under sides of the jacks v at, there being a finger for each jack. The

fingers 9 have pockets 35, in which are incorresponding or suitable pockets in the fingers g, the said rods transmitting to the fingers g the movement of the fingers g due to the pattern surface or chain. The pattern surface or chain y and its shaft 3 are and may be as in United States Patent No. 264,864, wherein like letters designate like parts, and in practice the shaft will be rotated intermittingly, asdescribed in the said patent, and in a forward or backward direction, as described, the shaft carrying the toothed wheel k being supposed to be provided at its outer end with a pin-wheel D which engages a star-Wheel D operatively attached to a bevel-gear D the said parts D D and D being substantially as in said patent. As the carriages complete their outward movement the pattern surface or chain 1 is moved to redistribute the fingers g and g, according to the requirements of the next shed to be made. As described, the loose arm 7 has a notched flange 12, (see Figs. 3 and 4,) which is engaged by the spring-pressed pin 10, carried by the arm T of the three-armed lever r These two arms and the spring-pressed pin 10 constitute a safety device. If the parts of the loom are all working correctly, the arm 4, moved by the link 19 will, through the pin 10, move the arm r and turn the rock-shaft r to move the carriages e and 6; but if the jacks should become caught or other accident happen whereby the strain on the moving parts would be such as to break them, then the notched part of the arm 7 in the movement of the said arm will pass away from the spring-pressed pin or frictional locking device 10 between the said arms 9 and r and the rock-shaft 0* will be left at rest. As each carriage e e completes its inward throw each of the jacks not held up by a finger below it drops into position to be engaged by the outer end of the carriage as the latter starts out; but if. the jack at the upper or lower end of aconnection f is disengaged from the carriage nearest to it then the upper or lower end of the connector next the disengaged jack will restagainst one' of the fulcrum-bars 23 or 24, and when a carriage engages a jack to lift the harness-frame attached to the harness-lever on which the connector to be moved is mounted then the opposite end of the said connector during the outward movement of the jack rests on the fulcrum-bar next to it. If both jacks of any one connector are simultaneously engaged with both of the oppositely-moving carriages, then the harness-lever on which the said connector is pivoted will not be moved, but the harness-frame attached to the said harness lever will remain in the upper shed. By arranging the pattern-chain, as shown, to act upon the upper rather than upon the lower set of fingers I am enabled to use a longer pattern-chain without interfering with the other parts of the loom. If the patternchain should be made longer than shown,

the frame-work will have a suitable guide or shield, as indicated by the dotted lines, Fig. 5, upon which the pattern-chain will drop. This construction also enables the rods used between the fingers g and g to be made as plain rods, the rods, the upper ends of which are acted upon by the inner ends of the fingers g, serving to push down the inner ends of the lowermost series of fingers g.

I am aware that looms have been made embodying shedding mechanism somewhat similar to that herein presented, but differing from the latter in that the connections to which the hooked jacks are pivoted, instead of being mounted directly upon the harnesslevers, are mounted upon radius bars or arms,

which in turn are connected to the harnesslevers, and also in that the cording, instead of being connected to the harness-lever at the top and bottom of the latter, is connected to one end of the said lever, the opposite end of the lever being pivoted to the loom-frame.

I claim- 1. In a loom, the following instrumentalities: a series of harness-frames, harness-levers, cording connected to the top and bottom of the said levers, connections mounted on the said harness-levers, hooked jacks attached to the opposite ends of the said connections, a pattern mechanism to select which ofthe said jacks shall be next engaged and moved, locking-bars m m to engage with the said hooked jacks when at one extreme of their movement and while held by the pattern mechanism out of engagement with the lifters, lifters to engage the said'hooked jacks, and means to operate the said litters, and devices acting positively to carry the ends of the connections back into their normal positions and place the hooked jacks so thatthey may engage with the said bars m m, as described.

2. A series of harness-levers hung or pivoted between their ends and adapted to be connected at top and bottom by cording with the harness-frames of a loom, connections mounted on the said harness-levers, hooked jacks attached to the opposite ends of the said connections, a pattern mechanism to determine which of the said jacks shall be next operated, locking-bars to engage with the said hooked jacks when at one extreme of their movements and while maintained out of engagement with the lifters, lifters to en gage the said hooked jacks, means to operate the said lifters, and devices acting positively to carry the ends of the connections back into their normal positions and place the hooked jacks so that they may engage with the said bars, substantially as set forth 3. The harness-levers, the connections f", hooked jacks attached to their opposite ends, a pattern-surface and intermediate devices to raise and lower thehooked jacks, and carriages having their outer and inner edges adapted to act the one as a lifter and the other as a depressor and evener, combined with means to move the. carriages, substantially as described.

4. The harness-levers, the connections f hooked jacks attached to their opposite ends, a pattern-surface and intermediate devices to "raise and lower the hooked jacks, and carriages to act not only as lifters but also as eveners, combined with means to move the carriages and with locking-bars to hold those hooked jacks which are not caught by the outer end of the carriage, substantially as described.

5. A set of fingers for the upper set of hooked jacks and a pattern-surface acting upon the outer ends of said upper set of fingers, combined with a set of fingers for the lower set of hooked jacks and a series of connections at their inner ends to enable the upper to actuate the lower set of jacks, substantially as described. v

6. The harness-levers, the connections f hooked jacks attached-to their opposite ends, a pattern-surface and intermediate devices to raiseandlowerthehookedjacks,and carriages to act not only as lifters, but also as eveners,

substantially as described, to connect the said arms 1' and T In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specificationin the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HORACE WYMAN. 

